


I'll Run To You

by EmonyDeborah



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Adoption, F/M, Gen, Kid Skye | Daisy Johnson, Pre-Canon, Sibling Relationship, baby Daisy, jumps through the show, maydaisy as sisters, philindaisy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:08:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27846594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmonyDeborah/pseuds/EmonyDeborah
Summary: 5 times Daisy went to Melinda, and 1 time Melinda came to her.and vice-versa because I had too many ideas
Relationships: Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson/Melinda May
Comments: 11
Kudos: 78





	1. 5 times Daisy went to Melinda, and 1 time Melinda went to her

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone in this fandom (including me) has their own "May is Daisy's mom" AU so I thought why not shake it up a little.

.1.

“Qiaolian!” Lian snapped. “Watch her!”

“I’m watching!” 

“She’s going to fall and break her skull-” Melinda rolled her eyes and scooted closer to Daisy on the floor. Oblivious to the argument, Daisy looked at Melinda and gave her a bright smile. Melinda couldn’t help but smile back.

“Mom’s being silly,” Melinda cooed, and Daisy giggled at her voice. Lian huffed. “But I’ll sit here so she stops bothering me.” Melinda scooted close enough to squish Daisy against the couch, and Daisy shrieked with laughter as she tried to wriggle away. Her wobbly legs couldn’t do much more than crawl, but with the couch as support she could shuffle. “What? Are you squished?” Melinda pressed a smacking kiss into Daisy’s curls and blew raspberries on her cheeks. “Sorry, you’re stuck.”

“Qiaolian, stop heckling your sister.” Melinda’s mouth fell open. 

“But you just said-!”

“Put her down, she can’t breathe!” She absolutely could breathe, but Melinda released Daisy with a grumble and a glare at her mom, who returned to the dishes with a warning look. Daisy tilted her head, and Melinda mirrored the gesture.

“I guess we know which is the favorite child,” Melinda said with a fake grimace. Daisy, knowing only her big sister was speaking to her, beamed, and Melinda’s stern expression cracked.

She watched from a few feet away as Daisy examined the couch cushions, a habit she had picked up in the last few weeks since discovering she could use them to keep steady. Lian started humming from the kitchen, and Daisy turned her head toward the sound.

That in itself was not unusual; Lian or Melinda sang to Daisy every night, and it never failed to soothe her. But her wobbly steps caught Melinda’s wandering attention.

“Mom, she’s doing it again.” Lian poked her head into the room and saw Daisy a few feet closer, clinging to the couch. 

“Well done, Daisy,” she said with a rare smile. Daisy smiled brightly, and something softened in Lian’s face. “Now go to your sister.”

“I thought I was an irresponsible hazard?” 

“Hush.” Lian gestured towards Melinda, nodding when Daisy looked back and forth between them. “Yes Daisy, go to Qiaolian.” Daisy looked completely bewildered, but turned back to Melinda and smiled at the sight. Melinda grinned back.

“Come here, Daisy.” Melinda reached for her, expecting Daisy to fall on her butt and crawl over for hugs. Daisy took one step away from the couch and toppled over, but instead of crawling, grabbed the cushion and pulled herself back to her feet. She took a step and fell again, but managed to keep her balance a split-second longer. Melinda’s eyes widened.

“Mom, she’s trying to walk!” There was a clatter of dishes, and Melinda smirked when her mother appeared in the doorway with a splash down her front. Daisy turned to Lian, overbalanced, and fell over again. She seemed ready to crawl towards Lian, but Melinda recaptured her attention.

“Daisy.” Daisy turned to her name and reached a grabby hand towards Melinda. Melinda opened her arms, but didn’t move closer. “You can do it.” Stubby fingers curled into the couch cushion, and Daisy pulled herself to her feet again. Melinda shifted onto her knees, ready to lunge forward if necessary. “Come on.” Lian hastily dried her hands and grabbed their little camera.

Daisy frowned. By this point, Melinda normally would have bridged the gap herself to pick her up. But Melinda just reached for her, not quite believing it would happen, but hoping.

Daisy didn’t let go of the couch on the first step, just shuffled along the edge to get as close as possible. Melinda wouldn’t have had to move to grab her, but she waited. Daisy reached for her, and her face puckered in frustration when Melinda did not reciprocate. 

“Come here, Daisy.” Daisy whined a little, stretching as far as she could, but Melinda didn’t waver. Seemingly without noticing, Daisy let go of the couch to take the few wobbly steps to Melinda’s arms.

Melinda scooped her up with a yell. “Yay!” Daisy flailed her arms and wriggled with joy, unaware of what they were celebrating. “You did it Daisy!” Melinda kissed her nose and Daisy grabbed her cheeks, giggling. “Good job, baby girl.”

.2.

“Lin! Lin Lin Lin!” Melinda barely managed to lift her plate out of the way before a whole eight-year-old barreled into her. Daisy wrapped her arms around Melinda’s waist and bounced up and down, pigtails flying. Holding her plate at a safe height, Melinda smoothed her free hand over Daisy’s hair.

“Yes yes yes! What?” Daisy beckoned her down to her level, and Melinda raised her eyebrows.

“It’s a secret.” Maria glanced in their direction, and there was a conveniently-timed lull in Blake and Garrett’s conversation. Phil, manning the grill and resisting Victoria’s attempts to take over, seemed to be the only one who didn’t notice.

“Is now the best time?” Melinda asked, with a pointed look at Maria. Maria pretended to look away, smirking. Blake and Garrett’s conversation picked back up.

“Yes! I have to tell you right now!” She had probably found the drawer in Phil’s guestroom with spare clothes just for her, or maybe the package of Hello Kitty toothbrushes in the bathroom. Phil was always ready to see Daisy, and she would never say it out loud, but Melinda thought it was sweet he was willing to let an eight-year-old take up space in his new apartment.

It was why they were all gathered- the first of their group at the Academy to get his life together, as usual (besides Victoria, who had probably come out of the womb with her life together), Phil had thrown a little cookout to celebrate his first nice apartment. It had a patio and everything. 

Of course, Daisy had insisted on coming, and Phil wouldn’t have been able to say no even if he wanted to. He had been wrapped around her chubby little fingers since the day he had met her. Melinda had been aggressively casual about bringing a friend home from the Academy, but of course her mother had still been suspicious. To Daisy, though, Phil was some sort of magic, and she took to calling him her brother as easily as calling Melinda her sister. It was sweet, of course, but Garrett’s huffiness at not being allowed to drink when they were all together was really what made Daisy’s fondness for Phil one of Melinda’s favorite things.

Even when she couldn’t get one fun night to be slightly less responsible.

“All right.” Melinda leaned so Daisy could cup her hands over her ear. Blake glanced at them surreptitiously. Melinda glared at him, and he jumped and looked away.

“Phil has a crush on you.” There was a small spark of  _ something  _ in her chest before she squashed it down and pulled back. Daisy vibrated with excitement, and Melinda regretted teaching her to play pranks.

“Uh-huh.” Daisy took her acceptance at face value, and beamed before scurrying away. Melinda caught another flash of Maria’s smirk, which took on a new meaning as Maria sidled up to her. “You’re hilarious.”

“I thought so,” Maria said, sounding unconcerned as she sipped her root beer. Melinda felt another stab of fondness for Phil and his dedication to keeping Daisy safe; if there had been alcohol at all on the premises Maria would have found it.

“Don’t you think it’s a little low bringing my sister into your pranks?” Maria grinned, and Melinda recognized it as an expression that meant nothing good.

“Who says it’s a prank?” Melinda rolled her eyes. Across the patio, Daisy slammed into Phil, and Melinda understood with a rush of foreboding.

“Hey-” Maria grabbed her arm to keep her from darting away.

“Not so fast. Let’s see how this plays out.” Phil bent to hear Daisy’s ‘secret’ immediately, and Melinda’s lips twitched. He would probably have some ridiculous, overexaggerated reaction, deny everything, and find some way to compliment her in the process. He was annoying like that. Even more annoying, Melinda knew she wouldn’t be able to keep from blushing in front of all their friends. It was infuriating, really. They were spies.

Maria made a hmming noise as Phil’s contrived interest in Daisy’s ‘secret’ dropped into shock. He straightened and stared down at Daisy, and Victoria took advantage of his distraction to take over the grill. 

Melinda fidgeted. She knew he didn’t feel anything like that; he didn’t need to be  _ quite  _ so convincing. Daisy scampered over to Maria and they fist-bumped. Melinda grimaced.

Then Phil met her eyes, and the world stopped for just a split-second.

Oh.

.3.

“Lin?” Daisy knocked again, checking the address on Phil’s text. She hadn’t seen their new apartment yet, but had been hoping to soon. Today would have to do. “Lin, it’s Daisy.”

Her mother hadn’t gone into detail about the situation. There were no details to be had; the only person in the world who knew what really happened was Melinda, and she was currently refusing to let Daisy in.

“Melinda.” Maybe she should have listened to Phil. He had told her to wait until he got home, but she had been worried enough to ignore him. The CIA didn’t pull people out of undercover missions for any typical “family emergency”. “Melinda, would you please-”

“Go away, Daisy.” Daisy blinked. Even as a five-year-old rummaging through her twenty-two-year-old sister’s things, she had never heard those words from Melinda. She pressed her ear against the door.

“Melinda?”

“I said go away.” She sounded at least five feet from the door, and from her tone Daisy guessed her arms were crossed.

“But I just got here.” There was no answer, and Daisy tugged on the locked doorknob. “Please let me in, I wanna see you.” Still, silence. There was no way of knowing she hadn’t just walked away, but Daisy tried anyway. “Mom sent me. She’s worried.”

The silence shivered, and Daisy had half a second to scramble out of the way before the door flew open.

“I don’t care that she’s worried.” For the moment, Melinda’s words were the least concerning thing about her appearance. The dark circles under her eyes accentuated the unnatural pallor of her skin, and she looked gaunt and fragile, even shaking with fury. “Get out.” Barely hearing her, Daisy reached forward.

“Lin-”

“I don’t want you here.” The door slammed shut before Daisy could react.

.4.

“Lin!” Daisy hissed. “We have a situation!” How could a genius be so  _ stupid-  _ In what world was shooting your superior officer the best strategy? Never, the answer was never, Daisy knew that, even her naive hacker alias Skye knew that. Her own mother would have roasted her over a bonfire for something that stupid back in the CIA, and Daisy wouldn’t have blamed her. And yet a top scientist in SHIELD, the shadiest organization the CIA was dying to rub shoulders with, had been reduced to a stammering mess after two questions? “Lin!”

Daisy darted through the plane, checking everywhere from the cargo hold to the cockpit. The bunks were unofficially sacred, but after looking nearly every other room on the Bus, Daisy took her chances.

Throwing the door open was least likely to be misconstrued as sneaking, and thus least likely to incur her sister’s wrath, so Daisy flung the sliding door to the side.

She was met with an empty bed. “Come on, Lin-” Her eyes swept up the wall, and she momentarily forgot her frantic search as she fell lightly onto Melinda’s bed.

The bunk was mostly empty. No pictures of their mom, or of Phil, nothing that would tie her to them. Which was probably prudent, in general.

Daisy’s shoulders slumped as she looked at the only picture on the wall. It was tucked into the corner, mostly out of sight.

She knew she had been a cute baby and was reasonably proud of it, but she couldn’t remember ever seeing Melinda smile like that, even at her. Maybe at Phil on their wedding day, if any pictures still existed for Daisy to compare. Phil probably had some somewhere; he had never really given up.

Daisy had her chubby baby hands on Melinda’s cheeks and Melinda was smiling at her like Daisy was her own personal sun. It crinkled up her whole face so her eyes were nearly closed, and she looked loose and free in a way Daisy hadn’t seen in years. She sank a little on Melinda’s bed, staring at how happy they used to be.

“Skye?” Daisy snapped up off the bunk and Melinda watched her with wary blankness, squeezing the ends of her hair with a towel.

She opened her mouth to ask about the picture, but all that came out was, “We have a slight situation.”

.5.

“What am I doing here?” Daisy dragged the second mat to the center of the garage, and Melinda raised her eyebrows when she didn’t get an answer. “Daisy-”

“We’re sparring. Your pent up anger stick energy is making me antsy.” Melinda pursed her lips but she couldn’t deny it. She and Ward both had been balls of tension and biting remarks since the incident with the Berserker staff. But since Daisy had no intention of letting Ward beat up Skye any more than necessary, he would have to make do on his own. Melinda was her main concern. “And it’s Skye, remember?” Melinda rolled her eyes.

“Shut up.” Daisy grinned and slipped her shoes off and Melinda did the same, though not as eagerly as Daisy had anticipated.

“What’s up? Scared I’ll beat you?” Melinda gave her an unimpressed look, met her halfway on the mats, and had her flat on her back in less than two seconds. “Not fair,” Daisy wheezed. “I wasn’t ready.”

“This was your idea.” There was a gleam of interest on Melinda’s face, and Daisy grinned and attacked from the ground. It took Melinda slightly off guard, but she still had Daisy on the ground in less than two minutes.

“Better,” Daisy panted.

“It took longer that time.”

“I meant me.” Daisy attacked again and again until a sheen of sweat covered both their bodies and Daisy had almost managed to win once. Melinda flipped them mid-fall and landed on top of her, and Daisy groaned. “Okay, time out.” Melinda smirked, and Daisy grumbled but still took her offered hand.

“Feel better?” she asked after half a bottle of water. Melinda’s mouth twitched.

“A little. How do you know I didn’t already have plans for letting off steam?” Daisy blinked and stared at her sister, frowning as she tried to puzzle out her meaning. A small part of her had feared that Ward was the plan, and that whatever was left of Phil and Melinda’s marriage wouldn’t have survived it, but she hadn’t really believed Melinda would do that. Not with Ward, anyway… Daisy gasped.

“Melinda May Coulson!” She clutched fake pearls. “Were you planning to  _ seduce _ your husband?” Melinda rolled her eyes, but the faintest blush rose in her cheeks. “The  _ scandal.” _

“He’s not my husband,” Melinda muttered, and Daisy broke character for a moment.

“Did you get divorced?” Melinda looked down at her water bottle.

“No.”

“So you’re still married.” Melinda gave her a look that bordered on warning, which Daisy ignored. Melinda sighed.

“Technically.”

“Technically smechnically. You love him, he loves you, and you were about to have your wicked way with him. There is nothing ‘technical’ about it.” Melinda shoved her.

“Shut up.” Daisy sipped her water bottle, sending Melinda sidelong glances.

“You could still… you know. I’ll clean up in here.” Melinda shoved her again and headed towards the galley. Daisy folded the mats out of the way before following, and found Melinda steeping two cups of tea. She accepted her mug without a word and took small sips, waiting for whatever was stewing around Melinda’s head to spit out.

“He’s probably asleep.” Daisy’s mouth dropped half-open in scandalized delight, but she recovered quickly.

“Did he know of your- uh- plans?” Melinda pursed her lips, and Daisy grinned. “Then he’s awake.”

“You need to stop talking about my sex life.”

“How can I talk about something that doesn’t exist?”

“This from someone who loves to talk about her ‘genius’.”

“I- hey. Rude.” Melinda smiled into her mug. Something softened in her face, and Daisy’s mind flashed to the photo in Melinda’s bunk. “Hey.” Melinda glanced at her. “What is- um- what’s that picture in your bunk?” Daisy winced as Melinda’s knuckles whitened around her mug.

It was too far. Teasing was only tentatively back on the table after years of barely any communication, and Daisy braced herself to watch her sister shrink and retreat again. But Melinda let out a breath and took another sip, and answered after she swallowed.

“Mom took that right after your first steps.”

“Really?” Melinda’s silence was all the affirmation Daisy needed. “Why that one? Of all the pictures of me.” She waited with bated breath, hands clenched tightly around her mug.

“I guess I’m sentimental,” Melinda said sardonically. Daisy snorted. “I like remembering when you trusted me enough to jump and believe I’d catch you.” Daisy flexed her hands on her tea and Melinda stared into her mug, lost somewhere.

“I trust you,” Daisy said quietly, and Melinda almost smiled. “I’ll prove it.” Melina frowned warily as Daisy lifted her mug from her hands and set them both on the counter.

“Wait-”

“Stand right here.” Daisy manhandled her into position, ignoring her protests, and backed up.

“No, no wait-” By some miracle, Melinda managed to keep them upright as Daisy launched herself at her and wrapped her arms and legs around her body. “Mmf- Daisy-” Daisy squeezed her.

“Told you.”

+1

Daisy’s instruments beeped reassuringly, but Melinda couldn’t make herself walk away, not yet.

They had grown enough as a team that none of the others would find it suspicious for her to be lurking around the med pod, but still. She didn’t want observers.

It was an annoying struggle to pick her way across the tubes strewn over the floor, but she reached Daisy’s bed without incident. There were sensors on her hands, but Melinda didn’t like holding hands, anyway. Daisy’s forehead seemed to be the only uncovered, untouched skin.

Melinda leaned down and pressed a small kiss to Daisy’s forehead, trying not to think of soft baby curls or the two holes in Daisy’s abdomen.

She hadn’t told their mother, yet. She had meant to, after beating up Quinn, but then Phil had come in with his plan. If there had been no way to save Daisy, Melinda would have called in her mother, cover or no cover. They could probably tell the team now, anyway. The way they had pulled together to save Daisy proved their loyalty in her eyes. And she was ready to win the bet.

Melinda thought Simmons would put her foot in her mouth first, but Daisy had betted on Ward being the most flustered with the truth. It always amused them to watch people splutter about how they did look something alike, didn’t they, only for Daisy to tell them she was adopted. Melinda would enjoy Jemma’s mortification, but embarrassing Ward would be amusing, too.

Daisy’s skin glowed a sickly greyish-blue color in the lights of the instruments, and Melinda smoothed her hand over Daisy’s hair.

She wanted to say something, anything, but nothing would come out. So she just stood guard in the silence, and hoped it was enough.


	2. vice versa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's shorter but I had too many ideas so have at it

.1.

“You’re late.” Melinda rolled her eyes and let her mother pull her into a short hug.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Phillip.”

“Director May.” Lian allowed Phil to kiss her cheek before letting them through the door. Melinda dumped her bag next to the stairs and slipped off her shoes.

“Daisy! Your sister is here!” Lian called as she hung up Phil’s coat. There was a thump from upstairs before a bright face appeared.

“Lin!” Daisy flew down the stairs and collided with Melinda, who swept her into a hug. “Can we have pizza tonight? And watch movies?” Melinda smiled and swept a hand through Daisy’s hair. There was a new blue streak in it, and Melinda internally rolled her eyes. Their mother was getting soft in her old age.

“Right to the chase, huh?” Daisy saw Phil and lit up even more.

“Phil!” She leaped into his arms and he scooped her into a bear hug, smiling as she laughed. Lian pulled Melinda towards the door.

“You know the number if there is an emergency,” she said in a low voice, and Melinda nodded. “Make sure she does her homework.”

“Okay, Mom.”

“And gets to bed on time.”

“I know, Mom-”

“And eats her vegetables.”

“Mom, I know. We’re fine.” Lian huffed a little, but pulled on her coat.

“Daisy.” Some of the excitement left Daisy’s face, and she turned to Lian with a tiny trace of fear. She was old enough to understand Lian’s overnight trips did not always go well. Lian opened her arms, and Daisy burrowed against her. “Be good.”

“Yes, Mama.” Lian kissed her on the forehead, gave Melinda a quick side hug and Phil a small nod, and left without another word.

A company car was waiting outside, and Daisy watched Lian climb in, her infectious joy dissipating. The car drove away and Daisy stood in the doorway, looking tiny. Melinda laid her hand on Daisy’s back.

“Didn’t you say something about pizza?” Daisy glanced up at her and smiled, and some of Melinda’s own anxiety lightened. 

“Yeah. Phil, can we make pizza?” Phil smiled, and Melinda loved him for the gentleness on his face.

“Absolutely, but only if you’re my assistant.” He lowered his voice to a stage-whisper. “Melinda isn’t good at making pizza.” Melinda’s mouth dropped open, and Daisy giggled. Phil grinned and held out a hand to her. “Come on, Chef Daisy, let’s see if we’ve got ingredients.” Worries gone, Daisy grabbed Phil’s hand and bolted down the hall to the kitchen. Muttering under her breath and determinedly  _ not  _ smiling, Melinda shut the door and followed them.

.2.

Underage drinking should be illegal. Or more illegal, anyway. Illegal enough for it to bother her  _ before  _ she ended up in a cell. The police had not been very interested in her fascinating perspective on the sequence of events that had led her and her friends to a cornfield in the middle of the night. 

Her one phone call was not cheerfully received.

An officer led Daisy to the front of the police station, and Daisy almost wished for the cell again.

Melinda’s stony face looked somewhere between unimpressed and furious, and Daisy shrank even as she reminded herself this was probably better than the alternative.

Her mother absolutely would have left her to rethink her life in jail.

“Hi, Lin,” she said weakly. “How’s Phil?”

“Like most people at this hour, asleep.” Daisy pressed her lips together, and kept quiet while Melinda signed papers. “Thank you, officer. Daisy.” The drive home was similarly silent. Daisy wanted to ask if their mother knew, but didn’t want to further annoy Melinda.

There was a shadow in the window when Melinda pulled into the driveway, and Daisy winced.

“Thanks for bailing me out,” she said, and Melinda grunted. “Are you gonna come in?” Daisy’s heart sank when Melinda almost smirked.

“No, thanks. Have fun.”

.3.

“So, Agent May is your sister?” Simmons looked completely dumbfounded, but Daisy didn’t enjoy it as she had anticipated. Trip and Fitz’s shock was clear on their faces, too, but Daisy couldn’t tease them. Not without Melinda.

“Yeah. Our mom adopted me when I was a baby and Melinda was seventeen.” Jemma mouthed her sister’s name, and Daisy hated that she knew the exact expression Melinda would be wearing. This was their favorite part of telling people, but in hiding in a motel, with a sullen Phil upstairs and Melinda missing somewhere, there was no joy to it. She just felt tired.

“That must have been terrifying,” Fitz said, and Jemma smacked him. Daisy cracked a smile.

“Sometimes.”

“Gee, Daisy, tell me how you really feel.” Daisy’s head snapped so far back she almost fell out of her chair. Melinda smirked down at her from the balcony.

“Lin!” Daisy scrambled out of her chair and sprinted to the stairs, taking them two at a time until Melinda was in her arms. “You’re back.” Melinda hugged her back, and Daisy was sure the rest of the team was watching with their mouths hanging open, but she didn’t care.

Melinda pulled back and looked her up and down. She raised her eyebrows, and Daisy nodded. “I’m good.” Melinda made a surprised huffing noise as Daisy yanked her into another hug. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

For longer than normal, Melinda kept Daisy in her arms, and Daisy knew it was her way of returning the sentiment.

.4.

Phil staggered to the edge of the hole, face blooming with bruises. The building shook around them and Fitz screamed something over the comms, but Melinda couldn’t hear him over the rumbling.

“I’m going to get her.” Melinda’s eyes snapped to Phil. He grabbed the cable like a lifeline, wincing with the movement.

“Phil, you can barely walk. And Daisy can take care of herself, just give her another-” The walls lurched and bits of brick crumbled from the ceiling. Melinda lunged to keep Phil from falling into the earth.

Fitz’s frantic voice screeched over the comms. “Trip said the temple’s collapsing! We’ve got to detonate!” Phil opened his mouth, looking determined, but Melinda didn’t let him speak. She holstered her gun and dove into the hole as Phil shouted into the comms overhead.

“Daisy!” Every hallway she passed was empty; the whole place seemed designed to confuse. “Daisy! Trip!” she hissed into the dark, hoping to avoid waking up whatever had taken Mack.

There was no answer but an ominous rumbling, and Melinda was acutely aware of how far underground she was. They would probably never dig up her body.

There was a scream, and Melinda tore down another tunnel. “Daisy! I’m here! Where are you?”

“Lin-” It was barely more than a choked gasp, but Melinda found Daisy’s pale face through the dark, dust-filled cavern.

“Daisy, what-?” Daisy’s knees buckled, and Melinda lunged to catch her. Daisy collapsed into her arms and started to shake.

“Trip-”

Melinda understood, and a small, warm place in her heart filled with concrete. She held Daisy tighter and kissed the side of her head.

“It’s okay,” she murmured. “I’m here. It’s okay.”

.5.

“Daisy!” Daisy’s head snapped up and she rushed to her cell bars, wide-eyed.

“Lin?”

“Come on,” Melinda said as she unlocked the cell and threw it open. “We have to get to Jiaying before-” Daisy cut her off with a hug and a sob.

“I’m sorry.” Melinda patted her on the back, and Daisy knew this wasn’t the time, but she hadn’t been unable to unsee Melinda’s head hitting the rock pathway at Afterlife. For the brief moments she had managed to put it out of her mind, she had only been able to think of the look in Melinda’s eyes when she had confronted her about Bahrain. “I’m so sorry, Lin. I didn’t know, I-”

“You didn’t know,” Melinda said in a low voice. She extricated herself from Daisy’s arms and briefly brushed her thumb over her cheek, but gave her a firm look when Daisy’s face crumpled at the gesture. “Come on. Phil’s upstairs.”

+1.

“I’m Daisy May Johnson, I’m sorry I’m late traffic was terrible and Davis couldn’t fly me-”

“Miss Johnson,” the nurse interrupted her frantic rambling, looking serene for someone who had just had Quake run into her hospital in her dusty, bloody glory. “Are you visiting someone?”

“I- yes, yes, my sister, Melinda May Coulson, she-”

“Daisy!” Daisy snapped around and was met with Jemma’s bright smile. “This way.” Jemma beckoned her down a hall and Daisy sprinted past her, only to stop at an intersection. “Calm down, she’s fine,” Jemma said when she caught up. “They both are.”

“Both- so-?” Jemma led her down another hallway. The wide smile hadn’t left her face. “I wanted to be there for her-” Jemma shuddered.

“Be glad you weren’t here. It wasn’t an enjoyable experience for anyone.” She led Daisy to an open door, and her face softened. “But I think we can all agree it was worth it.” Daisy barely heard her. Jemma smiled at the wonder on her face. She gave Daisy a nudge, and left them alone.

Squished into Melinda’s hospital bed, Phil looked up and beamed. “Daisy.”

“Hey, AC.” A grin spread across Daisy’s face. “How’s everybody doing?” Melinda glanced up at her, and there was a gentleness and happiness in her features Daisy hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Come meet your nephew,” she said softly, and Daisy’s smile widened as she crossed the room. She wrapped an arm around Melinda’s shoulders and kissed her head, and they both looked down at the sleeping baby.

“He’s beautiful,” she said, and Melinda leaned into her side.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :) I don't know where this came from, but it was fun to write them with this dynamic.


End file.
